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T. H. RHODES.

ELECTRIC G'AS LIGHTING.

Patented May 15, 1883.

was mums viranswlwdYc-umon waswmm' a z UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. RHODES, OF BROOKLYN,.NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,610, dated May 15.1883.

Application filed January 2, 1583. (N0 model.)

of New York, have invented an improvement in Electric Gas-Lighting, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to remove the electrodes or spark-pointsfrom contact with the gas-flame, so that said-points will not beinjured, and also to lessen the cost of the parts and simplify theconstruction. I turn the gas-cock by the progressive movement of aratchet-wheel and pawl. Thepawl becomes the lever for turning the cock,and also for moving an arm that carries a spring-electrode.

1 use an insulated lifter that raises a sliding electrode as the 'gas isshut off, and as the gas is turned on and the swinging electrode ismoved across the path of the-sliding electrode the spark is drawn andthe sliding electrode drops out ofthe way of the gas-tin me, and theswinging electrode is turned back to its place. An important function ofthe lifter and sliding electrode is to prevent the circuit remainingclosed at the point of contact near the tip of the burner, therebyavoiding a waste of the battery. As soon as the spark is made bybreaking contact, the sliding electrode drops down, and the swingingelectrode, in its return movement, passes over it'without touching. Whenthe gas is extinguished no contact is made in either forward or backwardmove-' ments. The pendent gas-lighters now in use make contact at thetip of the burner each time the movable electrode is vibrated, whichcauses unnecessary expenditure of batterypower, and increases theliability fourfold of the circuit remaining closed accidentally. Thisfaultis entirely overcomein the presentiuveution by bringing theelectrodes together and drawing the spark only oncein four movements ofthe swinging electrode as it is carried back and forth near the slidingelectrode.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side'view of the'burner and lightingdevice. Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is adiagram of the lever-arm, sliding'electrode, and gasways in the cock,seen from the side next to the burner. Fig.4 shows the lower end ofthelever-arm and its spring, and Fig. 5 represents the sliding electrodeand its lifter.

I find it preferable to use a four-way rock, so that there will be eightback and forth movements each revolution of the cock-four to turn on thegas and light the same, and

fourintermediate to turn off the gas and extiuguish the light. I do not,however, limit myself in this particular, as the cock may have three ormore ways, the other parts being constructed to conform thereto.

The plug it. having four ways through it, is in the barrel I), that isprovided with a socket fdr screwing it to the gas-pipe, and above thecock are the burner-tuht c and tip 1. Upon the outer end of the cook athere is a ratchet-wheel,f, with eight teeth, and behind it isalever-ar1n,lt, having an eye that loosely surrounds the plug .7, closebehind the ratchetwheel; and. there are two legs, 2' i, upon the lever,and a stop, 7., on the burner, for limiting the movement of thelever-arm h.

A spring, 1. is attached at one end to the stud or stop 7.: and coiledaround the plug a, and the upper end is connected to the leverarm IL,and serves to throw the arm 72 back to its'norihal position at theleft,as seen in Fig. 1.

Upon the arm It the pawl n is hinged, and its end actsupont-heratchet-wheel f, and there is an extension to the pawl, forming alever, to which a pull cord or wire, in, is attached, so that onpulling" such cord the pawl and leverarm 7t are moved and the cook aturned oneeighth of a revolution, and then the parts are returned totheir normal position by the spring.

Upon the plug of the cock there is an'insulated lifter in the form offour cams or teeth, 0, either of hard rubber or other insuiatingmaterial or of metal insulated. This lifter acts at the lower end ofthdsliding electrode 8, which is held by and slides in a tubular. guide,r, upon a band, i, that is clamped around the burner-tube by a screw,there being a layer'of insulating material between the band and theburner-tube c. The wire from the battery is attached to this insulatedband t.

' The electrode 2*, at the upper end of the arm 71, is preferably in theform of a helix, with one end extending ed" as an 'armtoward theburner-tip, the other end fastened to the arm 72. In the normal positionthe electrodes s and v are entirely out of the way of the gas-flameturned OR by the partial rotation of the cock (I. the lifter 0 is alsoturned and partially lifts the sliding electrode s, and when the leveris again moved to turn on the gas the-sliding electrode is still furtherlifted by the insulated lifter 0, and its upper end is new high enoughto arrest'the movement of the outer end of the electrode 01 as it isswung by its arm h. The further movement of this arm h causes the springof the electrode to be partially wound up, then the electrode toseparate with a sudden spring, and the spark is drawn into the gasitself as it issues from the tip d, hence igniting such gas. Themovement of the parts, as'the cock is fully opened, causes the point ofthe lifter that had elevated the sliding electrode to pass from beneathit and allow said electrode to bethrown down out of the way of.

the flame by the action of a spring, and as the pull is' released theparts assume their normal position by the spring I, throwing the lever hback and carrying the spring-electrode s to the position shown in Fig.5. In this movement the electrodes do not comein contact with eachother, neither do they touch, as the lever h is swung first one way andthen the other in turning ofi' the gas. the cock turning back. It is tobe understood that one wire of the circuit is connected with theinsulated band if, and the other to the gas pipe or fixture, and thecurrent will not pass, except when the electrodes are in contact at Thespring-pawl w prevents the spark-points, which contact is only onceduring the four movements or" the lever h,- hence there is no morebattery-power used than is necessary for drawing the spark to light thegas, and there is little or no risk of theelec trodes accidentallyremaining in contact and consuming the battery unnecessarily.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a gas burner and cook,a swinging arm, and electrode, of a. sliding electrode and means formoving the cock and swinging electrode simultaneously, and forraising'and lowering the sliding electrode,

I substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the gas burner and cock, of a sliding electrodeand a lifter acting to raise the electrode, and a swin gin gelectrode,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the gas burner and cock, of mechanism forrotating the cock progressively, an electrode, alifter for raising'thesame as the gas is turned oil", an electrode that is moved when the gasis turned on and draws the spark, and means, substantially as specitied,for moving the electrodes away from the flame, as set forth.

Signed by me this 29th day of December, A.

' THOS. H. RHODES. Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mom.

